MIT Sloan MBAs Bring Reality TV to the World of Online Gaming

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two MIT Sloan MBAs have launched a new web site, TVLeagues.com, which offers fans of reality TV a way to bring the competition into their homes.

TVLeagues.com users are invited to create or join virtual leagues. They then gain points by correctly predicting which contestants will be eliminated from each episode of major reality television shows currently featured on the site. Private leagues are available for competition with co-workers, friends and family members, while public leagues are open to all users. TVLeagues.com is a free service and provides an easy-to-follow tutorial for those who are new to the concept of online leagues.

The Web site currently features the shows American Idol, The Apprentice, America's Next Top Model, Beauty and the Geek, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Project Runway.

“We created TV Leagues as a fun way for people already watching and talking about Reality TV shows to interact and compete against one another,” says co-founder Eric Hanover, MIT Sloan MBA ’08. “Our game engages communities of fans in a more interactive viewing experience.”

Unlike other sites, says Hanover, TVLeagues.com allows users to play on fantasy league games for all the top elimination reality shows in one online place, thus avoiding having to keep track of multiple login accounts.

“Some reality shows offer games on their Web sites that are too simplistic or overly sophisticated for most viewers, especially viewers who want to compete with their friends,” says co-founder David Hui, MIT Sloan MBA ’05. “We feel ours offers just the right balance. TVLeagues.com is like a virtual water cooler that captures that energy and connects viewers.”

Traci Ho, a 27-year-old graduate student, couldn’t agree more. “I’ve been a closet viewer of America’s Next Top Model,” she admits. “Now I have a convenient way to connect with other fans of the show.”

For more information, visit www.tvleagues.com or email info@tvleagues.com.

For over fifty years, the MIT Sloan School of Management, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been one of the world's leading academic sources of innovation in management theory and practice. With students from more than 60 countries, it develops effective, innovative, and principled leaders who advance the global economy.